“It’s a light dessert. It’s not so heavy after a big Easter meal,” she described. “No one feels guilty about having berries in a meringue shell.”

Although Bause-Bartra admits the first time she served it, her family was surprised.

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“The family had big expectations,” she recalled. “They all said, ‘You have to make this again, please!’”

Not only a big hit, Brown Sugar Pavlova is also easy to make.

“I like to do the meringue shells a day or two in advance and keep them in an airtight container,” Bause-Bartra recommended.

Add whipped cream and berries at the last minute or “the meringue shells will get soggy.”

The brown sugar is “a little bit of a twist,” she noted. “It gives it a nice caramelized flavor.”

Another plus – Bause-Bartra made the recipe gluten-free for her daughter.

“It’s nice when we can all have the same dessert,” added Amy’s sister and catering partner Erin Bause.

Chef and caterer Joanie White of Union Jack’s Inn on the Manatawny will bring Lemon Rice Pudding to her family’s Easter celebration.

“I like how simple it is,” she said. “It just makes the whole house smell awesome!”

Someone gave White the recipe a few years ago. She’s been enjoying it ever since.

“It cooks itself before the meal,” she explained. “You make it in the morning before Easter dinner. You don’t have to share the oven.”

White, who is also an instructor at Cooking Spotlight in Phoenixville and a health coach, calls Lemon Rice Pudding “comfort food at its finest and so, so good.”

“If you are feeding a larger crowd, cook it in separate dishes instead of trying to double it in one dish,” she advised. “Try not to get any of the white pith in with your lemon peel. It will make your pudding bitter.”

Preheat oven to 275 degrees with rack in middle. Prepare 2 1/2 sheet pans with parchment paper. Pulse superfine sugar, brown sugar and cornstarch in a food processor until well combined. Stir together vanilla and vinegar in a small bowl.

Beat egg whites with a pinch of salt using an electric mixer at medium speed until they hold soft peaks. Increase speed to medium-high and add sugar mixture 1 tablespoon at a time. After all sugar has been added, beat 1 minute more. Add vinegar mixture, and then beat at high speed until meringue is glossy and holds stiff peaks. Spread meringue in circular individual portions making the sides high either using a piping bag or a spoon yielding 8-10 portion cups.

Bake until meringues have a crisp crust and feel dry to the touch, about 1 hour (insides will still be marshmallow-like).

Turn oven off and prop door open slightly. Cool meringues in oven 1 hour. (Meringues may sink slightly and crack while cooling.) You may bake these a day in advance.

Macerate fruit an hour before serving:

Toss berries with sugar and let stand at room temperature until ready to use (up to 1 hour).

Assemble dessert:

Beat heavy cream with sour cream using an electric mixer until it just holds soft peaks. If using lemon curd, whip cream first and then fold in lemon curd. Put meringue on a serving plate and spread whipped cream over it. Spoon fruit (with juice) over top. Repeat with remaining meringues, cream and fruit.

(courtesy of Bause Catered Events)

LEMON RICE PUDDING

Peel from one organic lemon- cut in strips

1/4 cup basmati rice

1 pint of half and half or coconut milk

1 1/2 tablespoons organic sugar or agave

Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Use a vegetable peeler to peel off strips of lemon peel. Combine peel with other ingredients in a small ovenproof dish. Put in oven and cook uncovered for about 2 hours - stirring every half hour or so. When it comes out of the oven it will be more like a tapioca pudding; the rice kind of dissolves into the milk. It will be thin and thicken as it cools. Top with a little whipped cream and lemon zest - if desired. Serves 4.

(courtesy of Joanie White)

Free workshop

On May 15, chef and caterer Joanie White will host a free workshop for women at Boyertown Community Library featuring healthy foods and homemade body products “to nourish you inside and out.” Call the library to register at 610-369-0496.